Frank Frazetta Fantasy Cover Art
Posted on: January 18, 2014
Judge a book by it’s cover? don’t mind if I do. We’re all guilty of buying a book because it has gorgeous cover art, or shying away from a book because the cover art is boring or off-putting. While I’m out of town this weekend, enjoy this gallery of Frank Frazetta cover art! It’s sure to be alluring to some of you, and off-putting to others. I have high expectations for discussions in the comments!
Not familiar with Frank Frazetta? Ultra-Famous fantasy artist who got started in comics and then went to painting. Many of his paintings were purchased for fantasy and adventure novel cover art during the 1960s and 1970s. His style involves lots of skin. lots of skin. probably NSFW.
Big pics and slow loading times ahead!
Looking for more? Here’s a huge gallery of his artwork on Pinterest!
14 Responses to "Frank Frazetta Fantasy Cover Art"
January 18, 2014 at 8:55 am
Thanks for this. I think half of my early love of Conan was due to those beautiful Frazetta covers.
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January 18, 2014 at 5:55 pm
The font on ‘Gods of Mars’ and ‘Princess of Mars’ covers is priceless. Who thought it would go well with the cover image is beyond me.
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January 18, 2014 at 7:41 pm
This guy was just priceless. I had all the Ace Conan books as a teenager and just loved those covers. The few that Boris Vallejo did, instead of Frazetta, were definitely a step down.
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January 19, 2014 at 2:44 pm
Oh my god, Frank Frazetta was a legend. I just can’t help but be entranced whenever I look at once of his art books. Just gorgeous.
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January 19, 2014 at 3:09 pm
The more recent conversations regarding cover art and the way women are portrayed have some important things to say, but in saying them I often feel that they, by default, tend to paint Frazetta and Valejo and Bell and other extremely talented artists who paint(ed), for lack of a better way to say it–sexy women–in a bad light. And I think that is unfortunate as they, especially Frazetta, are an important part of the landscape of SF/F. Frazetta’s painting, particularly for Burroughs’ work and his realization of Howard’s Conan, are iconic images.
Frazetta is a particular favorite of mine. His works take me away to another time and make me want to immerse myself in fun, nostalgic fiction. There are those who are like him and have tried to emulate his work, but Frazetta was indeed a singular talent. I’d love to be able to see his art in person some day.
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January 20, 2014 at 2:29 pm
I had that Princess of Mars edition and several others from Frazetta. Let’s just leave it at that they were a big staple of my tween fantasies.
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January 20, 2014 at 3:59 pm
Yeah, some gorgeous artwork. I probably in fairness would judge – at least in the past – some of these books on their covers and would probably not pick them up – the covers with the mostly naked women for example – probably wouldn’t appeal because it would give me the impression that the content was going to be a certain style. Yes, I realise that’s probably wrong but, by the same token I also wouldn’t pick up a book with a super hot, half naked, hench guy on the front, so there you go. However, covers are deceptive – you could buy a perfectly innocent looking book with a grey cover and mundane grey tie on the front – and we all know how that story goes!
The thing is – this is beautiful artwork and if we look at any of the old masters they’re not exactly short of the naked form so why be put off by the same thing on the front of a book!
My favourite cover: The Mothman Prophecies
Lynn 😀
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January 21, 2014 at 12:17 am
“this is beautiful artwork and if we look at any of the old masters they’re not exactly short of the naked form so why be put off by the same thing on the front of a book!”
exactly.
I wanna read what’s inside, but I don’t want to get strange looks from people at work when I bring in a paperback that’s got a naked chick on the cover. But then again, some of my co-workers read 50 Shades in the breakroom, and that’s far dirtier than anything that’s in these books.
I’d read a super quick interview with Frazetta online (I think it was an excerpt from a magazine interview?) and he was just painting what he liked to paint. Hardly any of the book covers were ever commissioned. And everyone at the time knew the cover art didn’t exactly match what was inside.
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January 23, 2014 at 8:19 am
Haha, I deliberately avoid taking books with his covers to work with me. If I’m on the metro though, it’s a different story, because I’ve seen so many weirder things on the metro than naked chicks on a book.
If I’m at a used book sale and see something with one of Frazetta’s covers, it makes me much more likely to want to read what’s inside. Ten years ago that might have been different.
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January 20, 2014 at 11:21 pm
Oh man oh man do I love Frazetta! I have a vintage copy of The Return of Tarzan and I’m disappointed it’s not a cover by him.
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January 21, 2014 at 12:14 am
looks like you have some book shopping to do! I run into Frazetta cover art all the time at used bookstores . . . unfortunately the books are not always in very good shape.
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January 23, 2014 at 8:15 am
Frazetta’s cover art is awesome. I want to eventually hang a poster-sized print of his art for “A Princess of Mars” in my apartment right above my desk.
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the Little Red Reviewer 
January 18, 2014 at 8:37 am
I absolutely love Frazetta’s art. Thanks for the post & the Pinterest link. There’s also the Frazetta Museum: http://frazettaartmuseum.com/.
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